Descent
by Meltha
Summary: The Dark Lord tells a story from his childhood, one that will have dire consequences someday.
1. Chapter 1: In the Beginning

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In the Beginning

I really should have parsed it together earlier, and subconsciously, I had. It explains why I was drawn to the cave long before Dumbledore ever told me of my lineage.

As a small boy, I learned to read quickly. There was precious else to do in the orphanage. I was not interested in playing with the other children, all of whom were both weak and stupid. I held myself aloof for better things, though I did not yet know what they were. I had no desire to sully myself with Muggle acquaintances even before I knew what the word meant.


	2. Chapter 2: Once upon a Time

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Once upon a Time

I read voraciously, absorbing books at such speed that the orphanage's small collection was depleted by the time I was seven years old. The stories of the days of Merlin intrigued me the most. I remember reading a tatty copy of the tales of King Arthur over and over until I had got it practically by heart. It was not the silly romance or Lancelot and his Guinevere or the tales of the knights and their Round Table or even the betrayal of Modred that fascinated me. These were details in the background.

No, what always fascinated me was Merlin.


	3. Chapter 3: Hero Worship

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Hero Worship

I was both intrigued and repulsed by Merlin. He was powerful, and that was something to fire my aspirations even before knowing I was a wizard as great as he. He worked wonders in the king's court and twisted fate to bring about the ends he wanted, and these too were admirable things. But what repulsed me was his capture by Nimue, the inevitable and predictable fall from the heights of glory through the trap for weak-minded fools: love. He loved her, and he lost his power to her.

I learned a great lesson from those dear days of childhood.


	4. Chapter 4: Checkmate

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Checkmate

If one wishes to learn chess, one does not study only the moves of a victorious master to see where he went right but also the mistakes of the vanquished to see where he went wrong. Merlin was the greatest master of magic who ever lived, yet love conquered him. Merlin taught me that danger very well, but more than that, I wanted to see how he had fallen. I read bits of old legends over and over again, all the different, conflicting stories of his downfall, and finally I arrived at what no Muggle author ever could: the truth.


	5. Chapter 5: Susurrations

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Susurrations

Some of the sources said Merlin was imprisoned in a tree or an invisible tower or a crypt deep in a castle. These were all lies, though some came close. In later years I realized that writers threw a veil over Merlin's resting place, probably to hide it from prying eyes. My eyes, of course, were worthy of the secret, and so it waited for me.

It waited until a lovely summer day when the orphans were dragged into the country for a respite from the city's endless prison of brick and cobblestones, and then it whispered my true name.


	6. Chapter 6: Precipitous

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Precipitous

I thought I was going mad at first. The grass spread in all directions with the single exception of where the cliffs descended sharply into the sea. There were no words as such, but the pull I felt towards those cliffs was so very strong that I wondered in a perfectly clear, diliberate way whether I were contemplating suicide.

The teachers were busy elsewhere. One of the littler brats had scraped its knee and was bawling loudly. In retrospect, I may have done that on instinct to provide a cover. I walked to the edge and looked over, completely unafraid.


	7. Chapter 7: HalfTruths

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Half-Truths

The boy and girl who came up behind me should have known better. Even then I could read the secret desires of their minds, and I knew part of them wished the frightening bully would plummet to his death and spare them months and years of further humiliation and pain. Instead, though, the boy spoke.

"It's dangerous by the edge. Mrs. Cole said. You'll get in trouble."

I turned and smiled at him, that charming smile I could use to get my way almost any time.

"There's nothing to be frightened of," I said soothingly. "Come and look. It's wonderful."


	8. Chapter 8: Drastic

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Drastic

The girl, Amy, was more of a problem. She took the boy's hand—Dennis, his name was—and started back towards the group. I couldn't have that. They'd tell tales to the teachers, and I'd be taken away with no chance to find out anything for another year. Interference was not to be tolerated.

There was no choice. They would have to come with me.

Neither of them was expecting me to grab them each by a shoulder, nor did they expect me to drag them forward over the edge with me. How could they? I didn't expect it myself.


	9. Chapter 9: Command

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Command

They were as silent and unresisting as stones when I placed them onto a ledge of the nearly sheer face of that cliff. The shock of it had made them senseless. I will grant you, it was indeed a dizzying height. I felt giddy myself, and even as a child I feared very little.

"Remain quiet if you value your lives. If so, there is a chance your bodies won't wash up with the morning tide. Only a chance, mind. I'm not in the mood for any foolishness, and this is the only warning you shall receive. Do you understand?"


	10. Chapter 10: Answer

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Answer

The boy nodded, his eyes enormous, but the girl had the temerity to open her mouth and speak.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

Her question implied not resistance but resignation to the fact that I had won, so I decided to permit an answer rather than merely throwing her to the rocks below for her disobedience. Besides, what fun would there be in it if I didn't let them know what was coming?

"Down," I said, and I gave them my true smile, one similar to that of a lion in a circus we had seen the previous autumn.


	11. Chapter 11: Addiction

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Addiction

I began to crowd them off the ledge until the boy slid down to another outcropping. The girl followed, her fingers shaking with fear, but I relished the knowledge that she feared me more than the rocks below. The power of that moment was a revelation.

I brought up the rear of our little group, secure in the knowledge that if the footholds had held for two previous climbers, they should continue to do so for me. It was also lovely to think that if anything should happen to one of them, I'd had foresight enough to bring a spare.


	12. Chapter 12: Downward

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Downward

The sea was very calm that day. The little darlings probably owed their lives to that quirk of fate, for they were both smaller than I. Had the rocks been more slippery or the waves any higher, one of them might have washed away. That would have been harder to explain.

I don't know how long it took to travel down the cliff, but we accomplished it without interference, and that was my chief concern. I still did not know what was calling to me, only that it was important beyond anything I had ever known.

My instincts were correct.


	13. Chapter 13: Recognition

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Recognition

When the black mouth of the cave yawned beneath us at the bottom of the cliff, I knew at once where I had brought us. It fit with some of the oldest tales, the ones that hadn't been cleaned up to keep them happy and bright for children. Merlin had been locked deep inside a cave for eternity, and I knew without any doubt that this was the very one where Nimue had imprisioned him centuries before. I knew it as surely as I knew the orphanage had never been my home, and I began to laugh in purest glee.


	14. Chapter 14: Consequences

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Consequences

"You see!" I yelled to the two bewildered and trembling children. "I told you it would be wonderful!"

"I don't want to go in there."

It was the girl who spoke again. She was still clinging to the cliff below me, and the waters beneath her were churning into a violent froth of white, slapping against the entrance.

It took very little force to kick her hand from its hold, and I watched her fall into the surf below. The boy stared in terrified silence. When she resurfaced, I knew she could swim. The waves forced her into the opening.


	15. Chapter 15: Following

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Following

I'd nearly forgotten the boy entirely as I watched whether the girl would survive the passage into the cave, and I was gratified that her screams remained clear, echoing through the opening, distant yet undoubtedly continuing. If she could survive the journey, then surely I could as well.

I had two remaining concerns. The first was she might see the secrets of Merlin's cave first, and I wanted that honor. The other was that the boy or I might be spotted by a wayward child peering over the cliff. The answer to both questions was the same: we must follow.


	16. Chapter 16: Plunge

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Plunge

"Dennis, will you join your friend voluntarily, or will you force me to insist?" I asked him.

The boy remained frozen to the cliff as though he had become one of the stones that made up its slick face, and I began to be concerned about the inconvience of shock. Aggravated, I lowered myself to his ledge. I wrapped an arm around his middle, then took a step backwards, plunging us into the water. The cold water was remarkably painful, and even I gasped and clawed at the walls as we were carried into the cavern.

The boy never stirred.


	17. Chapter 17: Inside

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Inside

I am not sure what I expected: certainly not the cold and pain of my first contact with the water, but more than that, I do not know precisely what I had thought to find once I was inside the mysterious cave. It was very dark, and the light from the outside world was filtered through the waves, making the sunlight flicker dismally until it was too far away to do much good to see by. Amy was sobbing steadily now, and this was fortuitous. It meant that she was no longer being swept along but was on solid ground.


	18. Chapter 18: Illumination

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Illumination

The tips of my shoes finally scraped stone. I had reached the far shore of the cave. The boy hung limply from one of my arms, but he was still breathing and apparently had not suffered any great injury. I walked forward until I was able to crawl onto solid rock, and there I caught my breath.

Amy continued crying weakly, as though she were weeping from simply having experienced too much than from pain or fear. I fumbled in my pocket and produced my contraband cigarette lighter. By all Muggle science it should not have worked.

It lit instantly.


	19. Chapter 19: Traces

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Traces

I held the flickering light aloft, and the small light revealed the recesses of the cavern surprisingly well. That cave had waited for centuries only for me. I was the only one to have stepped foot there since Nimue betrayed the old man who had traded power for love.

I waited for something to happen beyond the understanding of a mere boy or ten, but the black, wet walls only mirrored the lighter's small flame, nothing more. Then I noticed one spot that seemed different in a way I could not explain.

Somehow, I understood this place had known magic.


	20. Chapter 20: Illusion

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Illusion

I peered more closely at the place vibrating with power, and I stretched out my hand to touch the wall. My fingers passed through as though the stone were smoke. My urge to explore the chamber within was great, but I pulled back, thinking it could be a trap and I might be walled up inside it forever if I went through.

How very fortunate I was to have two companions with me! I compared the two children and chose the sobbing girl because she seemed less damaged. Dragging her to her feet, I heaved her through the invisible door.


	21. Chapter 21: Reappearance

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Reappearance

There was a pause of several seconds where nothing at all happened. Amy's cry had been cut off in the middle of a scream as though she had simply ceased to exist. Dennis looked at me in mute horror and then at the wall, obviously wondering if he was to be next.

Abruptly, the girl's arm came into view again, sticking out through the apparently solid rock, and it was quickly followed by the rest of her. Though still screaming like a banshee as she collapsed to the ground, she was unharmed. That was precisely what I had hoped for.


	22. Chapter 22: Debriefing

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Debriefing

"What did you see?" I asked her, bending over her and bringing my face close to hers. "What's on the other side?"

It was as though she had only now realized she was back in the same chamber with me, and with a small gasp her breath began to calm, and the screaming stopped.

"I asked you," I repeated in a voice that brooked no further delay, "what did you see?"

"Darkness," she said in a whisper. "Pitch black."

Of course, I thought. The light had remained on this side. The secrets of the chamber remained unknown. I was pleased.


	23. Chapter 23: Follow the Leader

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Follow the Leader

Dennis seemed to be coming around slightly and moved towards the girl, putting a hand on her arm to comfort her. It was all very sweet and utterly a waste of time.

I grabbed both of them, fisting one hand at the back of each of their shirts and dragging them to their feet. Unfortunately, holding the lighter at the same time was difficult. I had to think carefully.

"Dennis, stand in front of Amy. Amy, put your hands on his shoulders and do not let go," I told them. I kept hold of the girl's shirt with one hand.


	24. Chapter 24: Entrance

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Entrance

Before either of them could argue, I pushed them towards the enchanted spot in the wall, making the chain of us go through to whatever awaited. It was a thrilling feeling, a sensation of absolute power. I had never before felt anything that was so undeniably right. We went through the stone as though it simply did not exist.

The area on the other side of the wall was truly vast. I held aloft the tiny lighter, and the glow seemed to grow stronger, illuminating a room more enormous than any cathedral or castle and containing a perfectly calm lake.


	25. Chapter 25: Seeking

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Seeking

Amy and Dennis remained still, the edges of Dennis's shoes barely wetted by the water of the subterranean lake.

"Utterly beautiful," I said, the words the first sentient ones spoken there for untold ages. "You see what a treat this is for you?"

They both looked at me, pale and silent, not daring to contradict me. Still, I was not satisfied. The lake was all very well, but it was not what I had come to see. Suddenly, on instinct, I crouched at the water's edge and began to feel for an invisible rope I knew had to be there.


	26. Chapter 26: Surfacing

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Surfacing

My fingers finally grasped something wet and cold, and for an instant I wondered if I had stumbled across a snake. But no, the fibers of the rope were ancient but still intact. I realize now that there must have been many spells on it to keep it from falling to bits in the water over the centuries, but then my only thought was a wild joy at my discovery.

I pulled the rope, and almost at once the prow of a small boat emerged from the water, glistening in the feeble light. It had an other-worldly beauty to it.


	27. Chapter 27: Embarkation

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Embarkation

The little boat seemed to empty of water at once, and it sat low on the dark water. On closer inspection, it seemed to be built on the same graceful lines as a Viking long boat, but in miniature. The only question remaining was if it would hold all three of us.

I looked at the boat appraisingly, then at my two companions. The orphanage didn't overfeed us as a rule, and we were still all children. The risk in this case outweighed the possible dangers.

"Get in," I told the other two. "We're going for a nice little row."


	28. Chapter 28: Damnation

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Damnation

For a moment they looked like they might protest, but I quickly found the means of preventing that. I shut the lighter, plunging us into the thickest darkness imaginable.

The children's screaming was really rather terrifying in its own way, echoing through the vast space and the blackness. It was much as I supposed hell would sound and look from the descriptions the vicar sometimes gave us on Sundays. After an appropriate number of seconds, I clicked the lighter back on.

"You will get in the boat," I said firmly, "unless, of course, you want that to happen once again."


	29. Chapter 29: Departure

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Departure

They trembled, but they took their places. As the eldest, I sat in the middle. Amy was at the prow, and Dennis sat shaking in the stern. The boat seemed to know when we were settled, and it began to glide silently across the surface of the lake. Not a single ripple disturbed the glassy water, and we were pulled forward gently but incessantly.

"How will we get back?" Amy whispered.

I was not happy with her for breaking the sacred stillness of the moment, but the question did beg an answer, and unfortunately I did not have one ready.


	30. Chapter 30: Travel

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Travel

The boat continued its journey across the water, and I remembered the stories of King Arthur's funeral barge taking him to the Isle of Avalon to await the time when England would need him most. But it was not a stupid Muggle king cuckolded by his queen with a dainty knight that I wanted to see. No, we were not heading towards Avalon, if that place exists.

Dimly, by the flickering light, I began to perceive a small island of rock directly before us. The boat's trajectory meant that we were heading directly for it. We were nearing our destination.


	31. Chapter 31: Arrival

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Arrival

Gently as a dove landing on a bough, the boat came to rest against the shore of the island. There was no noise at all, not even the sound of ripples against the stone. The island rose sharply, and it was difficult to see what crowned its rocky summit, but I was certain something was there. I had only to explore and learn the secrets there.

"Stay here," I told the two children. "I will call you if I have need of you, and then you must come at once. Is that understood?"

"Please, don't take the light!" Dennis pleaded.


	32. Chapter 32: Mercy

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Mercy

The desperation in the child's voice suggested he might do something excessive to prevent the light leaving, and I did not want that aggravation, not at my moment of greatest triumph.

It was then I noticed a soft glow emanating from the island's peak. I am still unsure whether it had always been there or if it had begun in response to the boat coming to rest. In any case, the problem was solved. I handed Dennis the lighter, and he clutched it like a drowning man.

"Thank you," he whispered.

You see how very kind I was to him.


	33. Chapter 33: Path

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Path

It was not without a certain amount of trembling that I stepped from the boat. I admit, I was very young, and the adventure before me was not something I had ever experienced. I had dreamed of it, but the reality was more overwhelming than I would have guessed.

I ascended the rocks to the summit of the small hill, moving always towards the dim but very perceptible light coming from the center of the island. My feet found a path and followed it. It took but seconds to cover the distance, yet years of experience lay in those moments.


	34. Chapter 34: Pinnacle

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Pinnacle

I am sure you are wondering what sight met my eyes once I crested the top of the hill. I was in quite a bit of suspense myself, but the tension of the moment gave way to something that was both more and less than I had expected.

A small, rectangular platform of stone, no higher than the span of my hand, rested atop the hill. On it lay the one I had sought for so long. There was no doubt of it, for his name was carved into the stone at my feet. Merlin, in all his pathetic glory.


	35. Chapter 35: Requiescat in Pace

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Requiescat in Pace

He was not, as I had thought he might be, alive. His power hadn't been enough to stop death in its ceaseless pursuit. His corpse was no more remarkable than any other man's, though it had been enchanted so as to keep away the worst parts of decay. Even this was fading. His cheeks were sunken, and his limbs looked brittle beneath his robes of dark purple. His long white beard lay against his chest, and something rested upon it that drew me closer. Stupidly, I did not think of the dangers that might await if I came too near.


	36. Chapter 36: Revelations

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Revelations

The object that had drawn my attention was a rose, blood red, charmed that the petals should never fall. It sat over his heart, and his hands clasped it, fingers interlocked around the stem. Undoubtedly, it was left by Nimue, and it was from the flower that the dim glow emanated.

I stared at him, the dead genius, the foolish madman who had traded the greatest power in the world for the love of a woman who would give him no more than a posy for his corpse in return for her robbery.

I suddenly realized that I hated him.


	37. Chapter 37: Squandering

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Squandering

The burn of anger started low in my gut, rapidly becoming hotter and expanding until my hands and feet were shaking from rage. What a wastrel!

This man had once been the most powerful person in the world. If even half of the stories were true, he had shaped destinies, molded empires, had the very stars at his command, and yet he had proved to be merely mortal. He had died as everyone dies, and the ludicrous fiction of love he had held for Nimue had destroyed him utterly.

He was unworthy of my worship.

He was unworthy of existence.


	38. Chapter 38: Summons

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Summons

"Amy! Dennis! Come here at once if you ever wish to see the daylight again!" I called.

Even so, there was a pause, a hesitation, a minor rebellion when I am sure the pair of them wondered if the boat might not decide to journey back again even if only two of the original three passengers were present. However, the pause was not a long one, and soon I heard the sound of their shoes on the stones below, drawing slowly, dejectedly nearer.

When they crested the top of the hill and saw the bier before them, they gasped, predictably.


	39. Chapter 39: Destruction

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Destruction

"Who was he?" Amy asked, her voice reverent.

"A fool," I said, the words cold. "Nothing but a stupid, worthless fool."

Dennis had come closer to the body, far closer than I would have expected the timid boy to dare. He held the lighter aloft with one hand, and with the other he reached out a finger to touch the rose on his chest.

"Who left this for him?" he said. "It's pretty."

I grimaced at the show of sentimentality; then, I grabbed the flower, threw it to the ground, and crushed it underfoot. At once, the soft glow died.


	40. Chapter 40: Revenge

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Revenge

"Why did you do that?" Amy asked, and she actually had the temerity to sound angry.

"Because he's nothing but an empty shell, a dead corpse, a thing," I said, stunned by how even my tone remained. I was perfectly rational. "The rose was nothing but a lie."

I carefully considered the next step in my plan. A white cloth, ancient but still whole, lay beneath the wizard's body. I nodded. It would do.

"Dennis, take that corner there at the feet, and Amy, the one next to it," I said.

I myself grasped the two corners by his head.


	41. Chapter 41: Threat

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Threat

"Why?"

Dennis had asked the question, which surprised me again.

"Do not question me," I said, my tone icy. "You have no idea how very uncomfortable I can make your lives, nor how much I would thoroughly enjoy it. Now take the ends and lift."

A look passed between him and Amy, and she shook her head, almost imperceptibly, suggesting rebellion was unwise. Together, we lifted, and the body of the old man was raised from the stone plinth. I began to walk back down to the lake, the others following me.

It was then that the lighter went out.


	42. Chapter 42: Retribution

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Retribution

I confess, the abrupt shift to inky darkness startled me, even alarmed me, and the screaming of the children did not help to relieve the feeling of panic. It is even possible my voice joined theirs in the tumult. I was only an untested child, after all.

However, when the silvery light glistened over the waters of the lake and came rapidly towards us, we all became silent. There was nowhere to run, no hiding place, no recourse. I began to wonder if I had perhaps doomed myself.

Maybe Merlin had not been such a fool as I had thought.


	43. Chapter 43: Questions

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Questions

As the silver mist came towards us, it began to take shape, resolving itself into a discernible form: an eagle was soaring over the water, every feather glowing in the darkness as though it were covered in stars.

It circled the island in an ever-tightening spiral, then came to rest upon the now vacant plinth and cocked its head at us, obviously taking in the scene.

"Why have you done this thing?" it said, the words coming from the beak and ringing forth in a rich tone, the voice gentle to my ears. "You answered my call, did you not?"


	44. Chapter 44: Correction

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Correction

"What are you?" I asked, keeping hold of the cloth.

"The Patronus of Merlin," it said. "He charged me at his death with watching over his place of rest and calling to those who have power resting within them that has not yet fully awakened."

I did not know what a Patronus was, of course, but a thrill still ran through me.

"How many besides me have you called to?" I asked, my voice rising in triumph. "Has anyone else but me ever been worthy before?"

"I did not say," the eagle said quietly, "that you were worthy, only powerful."


	45. Chapter 45: Overstepping

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Author's Note: Sorry about previously uploading Correction twice. The problem has been fixed.

Overstepping

"I have watched you," it said. "What I have seen in you has not been encouraging."

Then it turned, unbelievably, to the two children and addressed them.

"But I have not yet lost faith in those of this world," the eagle said, watching them, and I actually saw Dennis smile at it while Amy reached out a hand as though to caress its beak.

The fury that went through me was consuming. How dare this thing, this mere parlor trick, claim that these two insignificant children were somehow greater than I? The insult was beyond anything I had ever experienced.


	46. Chapter 46: Indelible

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Indelible

My hands dropped the cloth, sending the body to the floor with a sickening thud, and I ran at the bird. It tipped its head to one side as though confused, but I felt power rushing through me, propelling me towards it with utter certainty.

I do not know to this day what spell I unwittingly cast. I know only that the bird looked at me with dismay and then broke apart into a thousand sparks that sputtered into nothingness as a cry of despair broke from its beak.

Somehow, I had destroyed the Patronus of Merlin on pure instinct.


	47. Chapter 47: The Ceremony of Innocence

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Author's note: The title of this chapter comes from William Butler Yeats's poem "The Second Coming."

The Ceremony of Innocence Is Drowned

In triumph, I made a mere motion with my hands, and the corpse of Merlin, the pathetic wizard who could not understand my greatness, lifted into the air, floating for a few moments. Its hair and beard stood out as though electricity coursed through them, and flickers of lightning came from my fingertips as I directed it, with all my hate, far out over the lake and dropped it into the black water.

The lighter clicked on again in Dennis's hand, illuminating the two children. I have never forgotten the looks on their faces nor my joy over my power.


	48. Chapter 48: Submerged

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Submerged

I led them, unresisting, back to the boat, and as I had suspected, when we resumed our places, the enchantment took hold again. The boat went back across the water as smoothly as before, crossing over the place where I had disposed of Merlin's body. By the tiny flame of the cigarette lighter, I thought I saw his face mere inches below the surface of the water, his sightless eyes seeming to follow our progress until he was left behind.

We disembarked at the far shore and stumbled back through the invisible wall, hearing the rush of the sea again.


	49. Chapter 49: Fated

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Fated

After a few moments to collect myself, I dragged the children to the water, and we began to swim back towards the opening, fighting the heavy pressure of the waves. When at last we came within sight of daylight, the sun was getting low in the sky.

The climb back up the rocks was silent, though I noted that the two were growing weary. I felt no such fatigue. I was buoyed onward by the knowledge that I had proven myself better than Merlin himself. I had many unanswered questions, but I no longer harbored any doubts of my greatness.


	50. Chapter 50: Sunset

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Sunset

When I pulled myself up to the top of the cliff, Amy and Dennis following, I was met with a most amusing sight. The teachers were scattered across the now dimly lit grass, some carrying torches, calling our names in frightened voices. I also noticed that they called for Amy and Dennis more often than for me. I held no illusions about their sympathies.

"Here," I called, putting the appropriate exhaustion into my voice.

They ran towards us like lemmings, and I considered how funny it might be if they kept running and missed the cliff's edge from the failing light.


	51. Chapter 51: Echoes

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Echoes

"Tom! What in the world have you been doing?" asked Mrs. Cole, her voice trembling.

"We were just exploring, ma'm," I said meekly. "We lost track of the time from having too much fun. It's all my fault."

She looked at Amy and Dennis, who I must admit probably did not appear as though they were suffering from an excess of fun, and then back to me again.

"You're all drenched," she said, confused. "You couldn't possibly have gone…"

She stared at us, and a shadow of the look on the children's faces when the eagle dissolved crossed her features.


	52. Chapter 52: Pretense

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Pretense

"We were looking in the caves was all," I said, keeping my eyes downcast with the appropriate assumed submission. "I'm very sorry if we caused any trouble. We were only playing. It was such a lovely day."

She didn't speak for a moment, but knelt beside Amy and Dennis.

"Is that true?" she asked them in a low voice as though somehow I would not hear.

I looked up and saw them nod their heads silently in agreement. They were not, for all their Muggle faults, completely stupid.

Mrs. Cole said nothing, but she shivered in the warm summer air.


	53. Chapter 53: Waiting

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Waiting

We returned to the orphanage, back to the drab grey walls and ceaseless tedium of classes. Amy and Dennis never spoke of what happened; indeed, they never allowed themselves to be alone with me again. They became quiet, and from what I overheard in whispers from the teachers, there were nightmares.

But I waited. I knew someone would come for me, whether it be from the mental ward or from somewhere else.

I was not expecting that the one who eventually came would speak in the same voice as Merlin's Patronus, and I never told Dumbledore of the strange coincidence.


	54. Chapter 54: Confidante

Disclaimer: All characters are owned by J. K. Rowling, a wonderful author whose characters I have borrowed for a completely profit-free flight of fancy. Kindly do not sue me, please, as I am terrified of you. Thank you. This disclaimer applies to all following chapters.

Confidante

And so I have returned to this place. The cave is indeed remarkable, is it not? Here, at the scene of my first victory, I shall enthrone another piece of my soul. I find it fitting it should rest here, keeping me alive forever, on the same spot the supposedly great Merlin proved himself only mortal.

Merlin will make an excellent guardian among the others now in the lake. To complete my collection, all I need is Dumbledore. They should become wonderful friends: a pair of fools who believed love was more important than power.

Don't you agree, dearest Nagini?


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